


Los Angeles (I’m Not Here For The Glamour, I’m Here For You)

by montes-carpatus (Carpathyah)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2013-09-03
Packaged: 2017-12-25 12:32:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carpathyah/pseuds/montes-carpatus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joel typically hated their trips to Los Angeles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Los Angeles (I’m Not Here For The Glamour, I’m Here For You)

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the terrible ending.

They were no strangers to the city of fame and fortune. The sun beat down on them on a clear Saturday morning and there was the smell of the sea in the air. Burnie pulled on his aviator sunglasses and held his arms out as he took in the warm sunshine. Joel was closing the door to their rented car - school bag over his shoulder. He watched Burnie take in the sun and sighed. Burnie loved their yearly trips to Los Angeles and soaked in all the glitter he could.

They checked into their hotel  and dragged their luggage behind them as they went down the red carpeted hallway to their room. Burnie had the key in his hand, like he always did, and unlocked their door. The room was spacious and overlooked the crowded shopping streets. Burnie walked onto the balcony and let the breeze kiss his neck and hands while Joel checked his phone for the place and time of their interview, patiently waiting for his friend to give him some attention. He closed his phone and walked up to him and rested his chin on his shoulder. Burnie tilted his head to rest on his.

“You know, the view is pretty and all, but, we have exactly 67 minutes before the ceremony,” he said as he backed away to get into his suit. Burnie chuckled and followed close behind.

The ceremony was long, and Joel found himself dozing off on more than one occasion. He kept himself busy by texting Burnie profanity and can we go back to the hotel room? Burnie would look at his phone and sigh. You’re like a 10 year old. We still have the after-party. He would chuckle as Joel groaned.

Joel took Burnie by the wrist as he dragged him quickly out of the room and to the car. Burnie followed with no struggle and they were among the first at the hall.

“You know how you are when you’re drunk, Joel,” Burnie warned. Joel ignored him and rushed to the the bar and shot down his whiskey like water. Burnie sat beside him and ordered a gin and tonic and sipped it. He pulled out his phone and checked for any new messages. There were a few unread from Matt. He looked over to Joel, who was chugging down another glass and avoiding conversation.

You guys having fun? - Matt

As much fun as Joel can get. - Burnie

You keep bringing him along when you know he doesn’t like these events, when are you ever going to tell him? - Matt

Burnie’s fingers couldn’t form the word to answer the question. He sighed and took another sip of his drink. He pondered for a bit before decided it wasn’t good for his reputation to be sitting at the bar while there were important people he should be having small talk with. He chugged down the rest of his drink and tapped Joel’s back to tell him he’s going off to socialize. Burnie always kept an eye for his friend where ever he was. He took another glass of wine from a waiter and could feel the alcohol start to hit him. He looked at his watch for the time and it was well past midnight and a lot of people have already left. He looked towards the bar and his eyebrows lowered when he couldn’t find Joel in the vicinity. He pulled out his cell phone and saw one unread message.

Come find me.

Burnie cursed and went through the crowd to ask the bartender where he went. The bartender shook his head and told him that he didn’t notice him leaving. Joel was nowhere to be found in the main room and so Burnie made his way down the stairs and into smaller open rooms. He had been searching outside, in his car, and was about to stop the game when he made his way down a fire exit staircase and saw the familiar black suit and messy hair.

“Fucking hell, Joel,” his voiced echoed in the empty staircase. “What was the meaning of all this?”

“You just seemed so occupied and wanting to get into the glamour, that, I wanted to play a game with you and see if you’ll follow. And that took you a fucking long time,” he explained. Burnie sighed and sat down next to him in the steps. Their breaths smelled heavily of alcohol and Burnie could feel his world slowly start to spin.

“You know damn why, I bring you here every year,” Burnie said. Joel looked at him with a questionable look.

“I have no idea why, no, nope, please tell me,” he replied. Burnie looked at him with large eyes. He searched to see if Joel was lying or joking but saw no trace.

“Because of this,” he finished and took Joel head in his hands and kissed him. It was forceful, awkward and full of Burnie’s drunken lust.

“Oh,” Joel replied as he caught on to what was happening. Burnie’s face was red and warm as he stared at his shoes. He cursed himself for being too impulsive with his action.

“Yeah,” he stuttered.

Los Angeles was in full throttle outside the building. Girls in short dresses and high heels walked drunkenly the streets for their next bar or hopefully, their next gig. Some indie band was playing at a coffee shop down the street to the twenty people who showed up. There was a couple at the beach giggling and laughing as they made their way into the cold water. The illuminated city made it feel like one o’clock in the afternoon instead of one o’clock in the morning.

Yet, it didn’t reflect the tangle of emotions in the hearts of two friends.

Joel’s head was a blend of words and memories while Burnie’s hands were covered in a layer of sweat and his heart was beating a mile a minute.

“I, Burnie,” Joel started. “fuck.” He saw Burnie rise from the step and make his way to the corner with his hands in his pockets. Joel could feel his heart drop into the pit of his stomach.

“Well, we’re pretty drunk, might as well call a cab and get back to our hotel,” Burnie suggested, not looking at his friend. He was too busy with controlling his emotions and trying to keep himself from running through the fire escape and into the parking lot.

“No, wait,” Joel shouted as Burnie’s body started to turn. Joel quickly rushed down the stairs and took Burnie by the shoulders and pressed him against the cold concrete wall and kissed him.

Behind Burnie’s eyes, stars glittered like an actress’ dress at the Oscar awards and his mind was in a bunch like an abstract indie film that no one else understood but the director himself. Burnie did truly believe it was an act, a movie, about an older man trying to confess his feelings to his longtime friend.

Burnie grabbed onto Joel’s blazer to pull him closer to him, smelling the many shots of whiskey on his breath as they parted for mere moments for air before crashing their lips together again. When they finally parted for good, they were out of breath and loosened their grip on each other’s.

“So, should I call a cab?” Joel asked. Burnie smiled.

“Yeah,” he replied.

On their cab ride back home, they tried to look as innocent as possible but there was no mistaking Burnie’s undone tie and Joel’s shirt that hung outside his pants. Joel held Burnie’s hand as tightly as he could.

“When were you expecting to tell me?” Joel asked.

“Probably, never,” Burnie confessed. “How long for you?”

“I was hoping for you to make the first move, it’s been fucking obvious for years,” he emphasized.

“Well then, I, Burnie Burns, have a massive crush on you,” he swore.

“See! That wasn’t so hard,” Joel joked.

That was when Joel decided he loved Los Angeles. That he loved the golden rails and the velvet seats of theatres. That he loved the ocean wind blowing up his shirt and the palm trees. Austin was home, but, nothing compared to that one week he spent in Los Angeles.

But the city itself was only a small part of why he loved Los Angeles.

He was eager to follow Burnie around for their interviews and meetings, only if it meant that he could hold his hand under the table or borrow his shirt.

The glitter, the girls, and everything else didn’t shine as bright as Burnie did when he laughed or spoke to people about the company. And Joel would watch, from his spot on the sofa in front of a studio audience how the spotlights caught the gray flecks in his beard or the dark tint of blue in his eyes. Joel would lose his words when it was his turn to speak and forget that there were other people in the room besides them.

Austin couldn’t compare.

The lights didn’t shine as bright.

The gold not as pristine.

This was no movie script or scripted short.

It was based off a true story.

 


End file.
